Blue has always been the bartender shortcut to making a glass look like something. Here the colour comes from Andalusia, from a house that has otherwise spent more than a century on cask aged wine, and behind the blue hides passion fruit.

Expert description

Bodegas Cruz Conde VDKA Blue is a Spanish Vodka Liqueur with passion fruit from Montilla in Andalusia, bottled at 17%.

The spirit is made at the house distillery, Destilerias La Cordobesa, where copper stills from the first half of the twentieth century are still in service. It is the same place the family produces anis, pacharan, brandy, rum, gin and whisky, and the VDKA range is simply the most modern branch on a fairly old tree.

At 17% Blue falls outside the vodka category. The European Union draws the line at 37.5%, which is why the producer calls the range a spirit drink derived from vodka. That is a deliberate decision: a liqueur at this strength can carry a whole drink without making it strong, and it can be poured generously without taking command of the glass.

The passion fruit is the real difference. It brings a tart tropical edge that suits the loud blue far better than plain sweetness would. Mixed with citrus and ice it becomes the kind of drink people photograph before they drink it.

Tasting notes

Nose

Passion fruit and a hint of mango. Lemon peel and a light sugar sweetness sit behind them.

Palate

Sweet and tart at once, and lively with it. The tropical fruit fills the middle and the acidity cuts through before the sweetness can settle.

Finish

Short, fresh and slightly tart. The fruit lets go quickly and the mouth comes clean again.

Specifications

Name: Bodegas Cruz Conde VDKA Blue
Producer: Bodegas Cruz Conde
Region/Country: Montilla, Andalusia, Spain
Type: Spanish Vodka Liqueur with passion fruit
ABV: 17%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 8413026817347
Serving suggestion: Over crushed ice with pineapple juice and lime, or topped with sparkling water in a tall glass.

Flavour profile

Passion fruit · Tropical · Sweet and tart · Cocktail friendly

Did you know?

The same distillery in Montilla also makes whisky and agave distillates. An Andalusian bodega that fills Pedro Ximenez into casks and runs agave through copper stills belongs among the rarities of Spain.

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In Montilla the bodega stands with whitewashed walls and cool half darkness, and behind them lie the casks of fino and Pedro Ximenez. Somewhere else in the same house they are filling bottles with red. Not wine, but vodka and red fruit, an Andalusian side road nobody saw coming.

Expert description

Bodegas Cruz Conde VDKA Red is a Spanish Vodka Liqueur with red fruits from Montilla in Andalusia, bottled at 17%.

Bodegas Cruz Conde was founded in 1902 by the army commandant Rafael Cruz Conde and sits in Montilla south of Cordoba. The house is known first of all for wines from D.O. Montilla-Moriles, but alongside the wine the family has spent decades building a broad spirits catalogue: brandy, vermouth, anis, rum, gin and, yes, vodka.

The 17% deserves a pause. The producer itself calls the VDKA range a spirit drink derived from vodka, and below 37.5% it cannot legally be sold as vodka in the European Union. In practice it is a vodka liqueur: sweetened, coloured and dialled down in strength so it can be mixed without shouting over the rest of the glass.

Red is the red fruit version. The colour is strong and almost neon in the glass, and the sweetness arrives with the first sip, but the fruit carries a light acidity that keeps it from reading as pure sugar. It was designed as a cocktail ingredient, and that is where it makes the most sense.

Tasting notes

Nose

Strawberry and raspberry, clear and straight up. Behind them sits a boiled sweet tone and a faint hint of cherry.

Palate

Sweet and light bodied. Red fruit fills the entire middle, while the alcohol registers only as a mild warmth right at the end.

Finish

Short and berry sweet. A touch of acidity turns up and clears the mouth faster than the sweetness suggests.

Specifications

Name: Bodegas Cruz Conde VDKA Red
Producer: Bodegas Cruz Conde
Region/Country: Montilla, Andalusia, Spain
Type: Spanish Vodka Liqueur with red fruits
ABV: 17%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 8413026817354
Serving suggestion: Over ice cubes with lemon soda, or as the colour in a simple berry cocktail with lime.

Flavour profile

Red fruits · Sweet · Light · Cocktail friendly

Did you know?

The wines of Montilla-Moriles mature under a veil of yeast just as sherry does, but they are usually never fortified. The Pedro Ximenez grape turns so sugar rich in the Andalusian heat that the wine reaches the strength the flor needs entirely on its own.

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Named after a blind harpist from the 17th century, one of Ireland's most beloved musicians.

Expert description

Carolans Irish Cream Liqueur is the house's classic cream liqueur with a hint of honey, bottled at 17%. Carolans Irish Cream was developed in 1978 and first sold in 1979. The liqueur is named after the blind 17th-century harpist Turlough O'Carolan, one of Ireland's most celebrated folk musicians, and combines the flavour of soft Irish whiskey with cream and a hint of honey. It is today produced by First Ireland Spirits in Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, and the brand is owned by Heaven Hill of Bardstown, Kentucky.

Tasting notes

Nose

The nose is creamy with cream, honey and a hint of whiskey.

Palate

The palate offers cream, honey and a soft sweetness.

Finish

The finish is medium-length, creamy and lightly honeyed.

Specifications

Name: Carolans Irish Cream likør
Region/Country: Abbeyleix, Laois, Ireland
Type: Cream Liqueur
ABV: 17%
Size: 70 CL

Flavour profile

Creamy · Honeyed · Soft · Sweet

Carolans' honeyed signature style gets company from salted caramel.

Expert description

Carolans Salted Caramel Irish Cream Liqueur combines the house's honey-driven cream liqueur with salted caramel flavour, bottled at 17%. Carolans Irish Cream was developed in 1978 and first sold in 1979. The liqueur is named after the blind 17th-century harpist Turlough O'Carolan, one of Ireland's most celebrated folk musicians, and combines the flavour of soft Irish whiskey with cream and a hint of honey. It is today produced by First Ireland Spirits in Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, and the brand is owned by Heaven Hill of Bardstown, Kentucky.

Tasting notes

Nose

The nose is sweet with caramel, cream and a hint of salt.

Palate

The palate offers salted caramel, honey and a creamy sweetness.

Finish

The finish is medium-length, creamy and lightly salty.

Specifications

Name: Carolans Salted Caramel Irish Cream likør
Region/Country: Abbeyleix, Laois, Ireland
Type: Cream Liqueur
ABV: 17%
Size: 70 CL

Flavour profile

Sweet · Creamy · Caramel · Salty